'Rorschach's Journal, August 21st, 1996.

'I am, confused, angry and somewhat impressed at are most recent adversary. Red X.

'Yes, Red X had been Nightwing, then Robin, undercover to gain Deathstroke's trust, which due to the HIVE and Ravager went belly up. But now someone else has taken the mantle of the villainous Red X.

'My confusion comes from how this person whoever her may be, and I say he since his build is definitely a male, and teenaged at that, was able to infiltrate the Tower and steal the costume without any detection.

'My angry is the same to Nightwing when he wore it, driving the name of a renowned figure of this city into the mud.

'And finally, my somewhat impressed emotion is because whoever this person is, he was able to take all of us down.

'We encountered him breaking a warehouse of Soto Industries, using very sophisticated tech to do so. First Raven fell victim to X, using the odd teleport powers, then Starfire with energy beams, I began to feel ripped off. Then Beast Boy, he tried to attack as a gorilla but X used a x-shaped object to jam his mouth open, Beast Boy changed into a hippo to get it out, but a hippopotamus on top of a narrow structural beam didn't fit so he ended up crashing onto the floor.

Cyborg next, Red X unleashed one of his odd gadgets which turned into this elastic substance and latched onto a bunch of crates which crashed into him.

'As for me, he fired a blast, which I deflected with a shield, but the blast ricocheted around the walls and the structural beams and hit me, causing me to drop the shield. But the others recovered in time to surround him. This person is defiantly cocky because he encouraged us, even making a bad joke about "x marks the spot.", he dodged and teleported his way through the attacks but Nightwing got to him allowing the two to fight each other and showed their match in skill, but he used the shock ability of the suit and knocked our leader out.

'Cyborg, myself and Raven took the next attack at him, but he knocked us out by using some deceive to send our attack against us. Starfire attacked next but he restrained her to the wall, he even took the opportunity to try and charm her, of course the Princess would have none of it and used her eye beams knocking him back into a crate.

'Beast Boy changed into a bear and charged, Red put his hand to the ground and made a small chasm which Beast Boy fell into. He then walked back to Nightwing and moved him out the way so he could obtain this odd weapon. He initially tried to escape but something malfunctioned with the suit.

'After we all recovered we followed Nightwing onto the roof just as the thief teleported away. Starfire began poking at her boyfriend to ascertain if he was a hologram this time, which he wasn't. Beast Boy and Cyborg theorised the former Boy Wonder could have been a robot. I don't want to think how they planned to test this. But our leader assured us he was without fault. While I couldn't read him fully without needing him to remove his mask instinctually I knew he was telling the truth.

'This only led to the problem of who this assailant truly was and is…'

Back in the living room Rorschach and Cyborg stood before the computer, they brought up images of Red X. Starfire and Raven stood observing them.

Rorschach typed away on his holographic computer while Cyborg rubbed his head "But who is he? I mean if Nightwing is the ex-Red X who's the new guy."

Beast Boy rushed in with a wheeled chalkboard and knocked Cyborg out of the way before suggesting these odd theories, from Nightwing's evil twin through to a bionic monkey infused with his DNA.

"I think not." Rorschach said from behind the chalkboard, before he pushed it out the way. He enlarged the screen of his hologram and began "We know that this individual is someone matching Nightwing in skill, and familiarity in gadgets. And a teenage thief. One possible theory is that he's a high trained graduate of HIVE Academy, a protégée perhaps. Another theory is the Court of…"

"It doesn't matter." Nightwing said walking in and through Rorschach's hologram, the Techno-mage switched it off "I created Red X, every system, every weapon. Whoever's inside that suit, he my responsibility."

Cyborg spoke next "Well if we're going to catch him we at least need to figure out what he's after."

"I already know." Nightwing said and pressed a button on the computer and the image of a chemical element appeared "Xenothium, the fuel that powers the suit."

Everyone gasped, though Beast Boy walked off grumbling about his lack of understanding. Josh nodded, he'd never heard the word before 'It must be extra-terrestrial, xeno is Greek for alien, hence xenophobia.'

"Xenothium!" Cyborg shouted "You powered that suit with Xenothium! Are you crazy? That stuff is dangerous, and unstable. Tell me you weren't stupid enough to go messing with it."

Nightwing sighed "Like I said it was a mistake." He them brought up an image of what Red X stole "The scanner will detect any Xenothium within a ten-mile radius."

Josh frowned his eyebrows 'What would Soto Industries want with that element if it as Vic described?', something he would investigate later.

Starfire spoke up "So we must locate it first.", Cyborg walked up to a console "X isn't the only one with a scanner, I'm downloading the molecular signature and transmitting it to the communicators."

"Thanks," Nightwing said as he headed for the door "but I won't need it."

"How are you going to find Xenothium without the scanner?"

"The same way I found it last time."

On top of one of the old and worn mountainous clifftops on the south end of the bay stood an observatory. The telescope currently covered by a tarpaulin. The wind blew strong as Nightwing gripped the edge of the dome and leaped down onto said telescope, he exhaled, his breath turned to fumes before he jumped into the lab area underneath the dome. He looked around.

Suddenly red lighting energy shot at him. The former Boy Wonder jumped back and behind some large containers. The shots kept coming causing him to jump up as it shot through a container, spilling green gunk and with an unpleasant slop. Nightwing landed on some crates and jumped down at the person firing. He kicked to odd staff far away and pulled the man onto a wall.

The man, grey and rough skinned with a messy moustache wore a wrinkled and off colour white containment suit with bit of technology added to it, including googles and a wire going up his nose. Nightwing scowled "Professor Chang." He said with venom before grinning "Remember me?"

"Ah," Chang said, "the good little boy who likes dangerous toys." The mad scientist chuckled before skinning into his suit "How could I forgot?"

"Xenothium. Where do you get it?"

"Nowhere. Suppliers skipped town months ago, that stuff, there's no way to get any. Unless…"

Nightwing pulled the Professor higher and pushed him further into the war "Talk."

"There's a tech company on the business sector, legend has it they keep a generous supply of Xenothium ore in their vault. But it's not for sale, and it's locked up tight. You'd have to steal it."

"Not interested." The former Boy Wonder said throwing Chang to the ground before jumping away "But I know someone who is."

At the docks, Cyborg walked down a pier with is shoulder light pointed at the water. A ship sounded it's horn and a bell boy rang out into the night.

The technical jock opened the communicator on his arm "West side clean, you guys find anything yet?"

Starfire appeared on the screen, she stood within a library "Thus far my search has been unsuccessful."

Beast Boy then appeared on the screen under the Tamaranean's video, he stood in a zoo "What she said."

Raven's video feed appeared underneath Beast Boy, she stood in a graveyard "Ditto."

Rorschach joined in and the video feeds changed to quarters, the Techno-mage walked out of an alleyway "Nothing here I'm afraid."

The screen changed and Nightwing appeared "Titans I know where Red X is going to strike, sending coordinates."

"On my way." Cyborg said. Some movement caught his attention before a blast of energy knocked him out.

Nightwing stood on top of a building in the business district.

Beast Boy as a bird flutter in before changing to normal "So, you're pretty much kicking yourself for not getting rid of that Red X suit when you had the chance huh?"

The former Boy Wonder didn't say anything, his fists tightened, his head lowered and his body shook.

The changeling turned sheepish "Uh forget I said anything."

"I couldn't destroy it." Nightwing said "The Xenothium power core is too dangerous to dispose of. It was supposed to stay locked away."

Raven, with Rorschach teleported in "No sign of Red X." The blue witch said taking her hood off. Rorschach shook his head in conjunction as Starfire landed beside them "Nor of Cyborg." Rorschach looked at the Princess, his mask changing to concern, before he could grab his communicator Nightwing grabbed his "Cyborg report.", no response, "Red X must have attacked him." Nightwing put the communicator away and walked passed the others his head down low "If Cyborg's hurt it's my fault."

Starfire walked closer to her boyfriend "Nightwing…"

"I'm responsible Starfire, for everything that's happened."

"No Nightwing," she took his hand "the error you made is in the past."

Rorschach nodded "You made the effort to lock suit away, you didn't expect some had the skills to break in and take it, none of us did. This isn't you fault, you not the one in the suit."

"And personally," a modulated voice said, causing everyone to look up, Red X stood above them "I think it look much cooler on me."

"That statement," Rorschach called up "would be a lot more credible if we knew who you are."

The thief didn't respond instead he threw X shaped weapons like Shuriken throwing stars. Nightwing and Starfire jumped and Rorschach made a shield, the edge of one of the star sliced into the shield and stopped just before it touched the Techno-mage's forehead, Josh flinched and failed to see Red X jump onto the shield, weakened by the star it broke apart and the thief kicked him in the head. The Techno-mage stumbled back towards Starfire.

Beast Boy and Raven charged, the blue witch ready her magic attack and the changeling became a rhinoceros.

X threw a larger x at Beast Boy which latched on to him and launched him into Raven. The two flew over the Rorschach and Starfire. The masked magician hit the deck and Starfire held out her hands to slow down the approaching pair. She stopped just before she tipped over the edge of the building and put them down. Rorschach and the Princess worked on getting the restraints, which somehow now wrapped around Raven too, off the pair.

Nightwing charged at the thief. Red X used an energy constructed x as a shield against the former Boy Wonder's attacks twice, defecting him out the way. On the third try X messed with Nightwing mask, leaving the team's leader somewhat disoriented before diving down the side of the building.

Nightwing recovered and readjusted his mask and joined the other.

Raven tried to blow Beast Boy's tail out from her face "And now I smell like rhino butt." Starfire pulled at the restraints before it didn't budge.

Beast Boy changed back to normal, upside down with his head on the floor "Dude, you think you gave this guy enough gadgets?", Nightwing looked away.

Rorschach created a small shield in-between the restraint and cut through it. Raven quickly got up and away from Beast Boy and Rorschach pulled the changeling up "To be fair he made the suit both to combat both us and Deathstroke, he couldn't take any chances."

They followed the thief inside.

"Spilt up." Nightwing said "And be careful, I don't want anyone else hurt."

However, as the four others searched they came across armed men with odd technology all incapacitating them.

Nightwing reached a reached pair off doors, but a scream sounded down the corridor, his heart stopped every time he heard it "Starfire!" he ran off down the corridor but stopped at a terminal.

"What the matter kid?" a familiar voice said, he turned around and Red X stood at the doors "Don't you want to play? After all," he pulled up a hand full of throwing stars "there your toys." He threw them. Nightwing jumped. They blew up the terminal. The doors unlocked, opening to another corridor full of lasers. The thief started jumped every which way through it dodging the beams and Nightwing followed swiftly.

They reached the end and they fell and shaft. An odd defence rested just before the bottom, a translucent force-field. Red X the nearer of the two fired an x at it which burned through the field. Just after he fell through the opened the field resealed. Nightwing opened his wing flaps to act as a parachute and came to a stop, just seeing the thief continue forward.

Using his own gadgets Nightwing made an opening in the field and jumped through it. He ran down the corridor and meet a room with a lower floor, black tile rested on the lower level. He looked around and saw the door at the end.

"After you." He heard Red X say before being pushed onto the black tile. He looked up at the thief. The tiles under his feet started to light up, he looked up and a laser gun appeared above him. He jumped as the laser fired. He landed and the tiles light up again. The laser moved to him. He ran. It followed. He saw to open doors at the end.

Red X leaped across and landed on the other side of the door "Thanks for the hand kid." The doors closed leaving the former Boy Wonder on the wrong side, with the laser approaching fast.

Red X closed the vault door and walked out the floating vial of Xenothium in the stasis-field. He walked up to the terminal and pressed a button. A pillar with grabbing arms extended from the floor and took hold of the vial, it moved out of the stasis-field and X picked it up. Enough Xenothium to power his suit for quite a while. He took out a containment case and opened it revealing more vials of Xenothium "I love it when the good guy wins."

A load bang caught his attention and he looked back.

A laser cut through the wall around the vault. The door fell back and revealed Nightwing holding the laser gun "You're not going to win." He let the laser go and jump kicked X into the wall. Thief hit the floor and got up "Kid you are taking life way too seriously." The two fought each dodging and defeating the other's attacks. Nightwing used his pole and Red X made the x marks on the back of his grey gloves into blades which spun like saws.

Nightwing used his pole to stop the saws. The two stared down the other.

"Why did you steal the suit? What are you planning to do?"

"Whatever I want." X flipped back and kicked Nightwing up and over. The thief got up "Not everyone likes to play the big villain kid, I'm a thief, I'm not threating your precious city, just looking out for number one."

"So, you're not psychotic, your just selfish."

"Lighten up chuckles, I'm not such a bad guy once you get to know me." He fired a pair of energy blasts. Nightwing deflected one but the second tripped him up.

Red X tried a drop kick but the former Boy Wonder got out the way and kicked X in the back. X hit the wall and fell back. He looked up at the case. He stood up and took it. Nightwing took out a bird-a-rang.

"Playtimes over kid, back off." Red X press his belt buckle "Or I trip the power core and the core triggers and rocks," he gestured to the case "I don't think you want that on the consciences."

"And I don't think you want to be disintegrated." Nightwing said holding his weapon up.

Footsteps sounded, both look to the entrance. A group of people in weird containment suits walked up. The lead armed his weapon and electrocuted them both.

Nightwing looked up as the suited men opened compartments in the walls revealing containment cases like Red X's. One put an odd TV deceive in front of the former Boy Wonder and left with the other.

"The Xenothium." Nightwing shouted. The screen on the deceive started up "Yes and I do so appreciate it."

"Chang!", the mad scientist continued "Since you two were doing the break in I decided to crash in. I'm sick of selling to bad boys, I'm ready to be one. And now that I finally have enough Xenothium power me Disintegrator Canon I can be very, very bad." The camera panned left to the telescope covered by the tarpaulin. Two of his minions pulled the tarp off to reveal the telescope to truly be a canon.

Nightwing growled "I won't let you get away with this."

"Oh, I think you will. Because my good little boy I didn't just steal the ore, I stole your friends." the camera turned to reveal the other Titans frozen within tubes. Chang move the camera back to himself "Stay out of this, or I'll test my canon on them." He smiled widely before the cutting the video feed.

Red X woke and slowly got up holding his head and groaning "Okay, who were the moon men?" metal pillars like jail bars extended from the floor and trapped the thief.

"Criminals." Nightwing said and X looked back as the former Boy Wonder spoke stood at the control console "Just like you."

"Come on kid you don't think this little play pen can hold me?", Nightwing pressed a button on the terminal and the bars electroshocked X.

"You don't even care, do you?" Nightwing said "A low life manic just got his hands on enough Xenothium to disintegrate the entire city and it's your fault."

"Don't you mean our fault?"

"At least I'm going to do something about it. And if you care about anything other than yourself you'd be helping."

"Sorry kid, some guys don't like to play the hero."

"I'll be back to take you to jail." And Nightwing walked away leaving Red X looking at the control console.

Chang opened up the observatory dome and manoeuvred his canon out towards the city "Buildings, neighbourhoods, lives. Countless targets just waiting to be disintegrated.", he chuckled and walked up to the frozen Starfire "Tell me pretty girl, have you ever seen something ripped apart molecule by molecule? It's breath-taking."

Starfire charged her eyebeams and broke froze the material encasing her "You are a bad man." She shouted before firing at the tube she stood in, but it didn't melt, break or anything to help her escape.

Chang chuckled "Oh if you think I'm bad now, you're going to really impressed once I finish with your city and move onto you."

"Your plan shall fall Nightwing will…"

"Not be joining up, not with your lives on the line. Far too risky for a good boy like him."

"You will be surprised at the risks Nightwing will take."

The minions finished loading the Xenothium and armed the canon. Chang scaled the ladder to the controls and spun it around in a test. He inhaled and gave a hearty sigh "Got a nice smell, doesn't it?", he pressed another button and the machine rose up and angled the gun down "I've spent years hiding from this cursed city. Now let them hide from me. Prepare to fire."

A shadow appeared over him and Nightwing flew in feet first and kicked Chang back. Chang's hand still griping the joystick made the canon angle up. The beam fire. Flew over the roofs of the city. But it hit the top of Titans Tower leaving several floor brunt away.

The mad scientist looked up at the minor destruction and then to Nightwing who landed on the gangway on the observatory, the former Boy Wonder scowled "You just made a big mistake."

The back of the canon came out and rotated the six compartments for the Xenothium cases and went back into play. Chang banged his fist on the side of the controls "Attack!"

Nightwing looked down and two of Chang's minions fired at him, one shot a liquid which quickly solidified, another fired the concussive energy from before. Nightwing jumped and flew down landing in-between the two. The minion with the gunk gun fired. Nightwing jumped and the other minion got encased. Not for long though as the former Boy Wonder kicked the minion out of the caked solid material and knocking him to the ground. Nightwing jumped onto the gunk gun minion's back. Grabbed his shoulders and slammed him to the ground. He grabbed the gun and ran to the edge.

More minions converged below him. Nightwing shot a stream of the gunk and created a slide. He slid down it and jump kicked a minion in the head. He punched another back and landed before punching another down. One more minion charge with one of the stun weapons. The former Boy Wonder twisted and dodged the tip of the weapon, grabbed it and threw the minion away. Another minion came up behind but Nightwing stunned him took his weapon and stunned the last of the group.

"Nightwing!" he heard Star called, he turned around as more minions charged at him with the gunk guns. He threw the stun weapons away and ran up to them. Dodged the shots of gunk. Punch one down. Kicked another back. Swung at the third but stop his punch, opened his pam and pulled the breathing tube from the helmet causing the minion to collapse. He jumped back as another attack. Pull the tube from the minion gunk gun and the substance encased said minion.

Chang turned the canon around, armed and pointed it straight at him. Nightwing took out his grapple and fire it, being taken aloft by it.

Chang laughed and pulled the stick back making the gun follow the former Boy Wonder. It fired.

A hole remained right through the dome, and Nightwing hung right beside it unharmed. He swung himself forward and back before leaping down to the gangway and dodged beam after beam. The third got close and caused him to fall. He grabbed a hanging part of the railing and then looked straight down the barrel of the canon.

"Okay good boy." Chang said "Who should I destroy first? You? Or you pretty friend?" he angled it down so it pointed directly at the Tamaranean Princess who struggled to get out of the casing.

Chang grinned. Something sliced the joystick then several x shaped throwing stars landed on the controls short circuiting it.

Nightwing's grip gave out and he fell fast. Something grabbed him and brought him to the gangway. The former Boy Wonder looked up and smirked at Red X grabbing onto the gangway "I thought you didn't like to play the hero."

"Doesn't mean I don't know how." He landed and more minion ran up with their stun weapons. The two jumped and battled their way through the minion almost synchronised.

Chang in his anger banged the controls making them overload further.

Starfire ducked as the beam fired above her, melting her tube prison, and moved up and rightwards over the other Titans and through the observatory towards Red X and Nightwing. The two ran fast to avoid it.

The beam sliced half the observatory and part of the mountain top causing it to slide away. The back of the gun sprung out, all the Xenothium used.

Nightwing landed in front of Chang and beat the mad scientist down to the ground.

Red X landed next to Chang and looked at the Xenothium on gun "Time to get what I came for."

Nightwing landed putting himself between the thief and what he desired. The other Titans jumped in beside their leader.

"Time's up." Raven said.

"Thanks for the help X," Nightwing said "but don't think that means you can help yourself." He brought up a throwing disc.

"No problem kid." The thief said holding up a vial of Xenothium "This should keep me going for quite a while."

"That won't do you much good," Nightwing said putting the disc away and brought out X's belt "without this." He walked closer as the thief backed up to the edge "Better luck next time."

"Not bad kid," Red X said "Not bad." He threw the vial down on the floor causing a small explosion.

The smoke cleared, not sign of X. The group walked to the edge and peered down. Star put her hand on Nightwing's shoulder and Rorschach crossed his arms, Josh's eyebrows frowned with anger.'

'Rorschach's Journal August 23rd, 1996.

'Most of the loss ends of our latest misadventure have been sorted out.

'The remaining Xenothium not used by Chang was returned to where it was stolen. However, the company would be put under scrutiny due to their stock pile of such a dangerous element.

'Talking of Chang, him and his lab assistants were put place in high security, made extra secure since the break out of Jinx and company, presumable by the shovel wielding individual who infiltrated the prison, still no leads on him.

'Our search for Red X around the mountain lead to nothing. So, he's still out there. Without his belt, it'll be far harder for him to operate, but with skill before he acquired the suit, I think it's still going to be a tough job finding him. Most likely he'll find us.

'Right now, both the Mayor and Commissioner Thatcher are putting together a special section of the museum dedicated to the original Red X, Miss Zero and Somebody, to try and honour the memory of those people.'

'As for us, we're rebuilding the section of the Tower destroyed. The city police froze Chang's assets and the money from it and the technology sent to STAR Labs are being used in the reconstruction.

'I can tell Nightwing is still contemplating his guilt over creating the Red X suit in the first place, how he treaded the line between good and evil, he became Red X with noble reasons behind it, the safety of the team. But is the greater good an excuse? Then there's this new Red X, he helped in defeating Chang, but does that one act of good make him a hero? And was that act of nobility tainted when he stated why the reason he came to our aid was to steal the Xenothium Chang stole?

'Personally, I don't see this new Red X as a hero, he's shown to have the abilities and skills to be a hero, but by his own decisions he acts only for his own gain. An ignoble reason to defeat villains a hero does not make.

'I just know we'll see him again.'